The weekend officially started on Friday because that is Poppy’s day off and Grandma only worked a half day. Any day where I am not the sole caretaker is a weekend day for me. And now you know how I am able to be so cheery and ‘with it’ most of the time…three day weekends almost every weekend. This one was even more awesome because there were four days of time with other adult humans that love these two munchkins just as much as I do. And that means, for four consecutive days, I didn’t once have to have the door open while I went to the bathroom (of course, I may have left the door open out of habit, but I didn’t HAVE TO leave it open. See? That is very different).

Friday started with a trip to the hospital for Piper because of the ultrasound deal. She did swimmingly and passed the test with all of her hip bones developing normally. The ultrasound tech was all “This baby is STRONG!” and “She is a weightlifter!” and “Look out radiologist-lady! You’ve gotta wrastle this one!” And then the radiologist lady was all “Holy Cow! What are you feeding this baby!” and I was all “Duh. Protein shakes. What else?” And then they lady was all “I’ve held down two year olds that aren’t this strong.” And I thought “You should meet my two year old.”

Later, Poppy and I took Gideon to the barbershop where he received his first hair cut where the boys get their hairs cut. He sat perfectly still and did just what he was told to do. He has a proper hair cut now and looks like he’s twelve. I was also very brave and did not cry, in spite of the crazy monologue in my head about losing my baby and how he could no longer be found. No more chubby baby writs…no more needing Mama for hair cuts…Okay, I’m stopping. He’s getting bigger. That is all.

We finished the day with a date for Jud and I at one of my favorite restaurants (where we met friends!) and then saw a movie. These were both a part of my birthday present. The rest of it was a book from one of my favorite bloggers but it has lots of curse words and graphic descriptions of the horrors wreaked on ones body when one has a baby so I will keep the details to myself instead of recommending it to you and then you being all indignant about the kinds of things I find amusing. You know, BECAUSE I’M HORRIBLE.

The next two days were filled with lots of other fun things like shopping with my mother (sans children) and taking the whole gang of us (we now require two vehicles) down to see the trains at Kennefick park (I’m sure I spelled it wrong. Get over it) and throwing steaks on the grill while we sauted onions and peppers inside. It was a very good weekend.

Today is rainy and dark out and I am loving this cooler weather. I am also loving that we are back on schedule with nap times and working and all of it. Routine makes me giddy.

So, this may have been a little late for me, but I know at least one of you out there is preparing for baby number two and wondering “Am I really going to be able to do this?”

Absolutely.

I think it’s easier with two and I think our family is better off with two…more balanced…more flexible…more relaxed. There is just something about having both of them here that has made me calmer even if it has frequently made Gideon whine a little more.

But don’t just take my word for it. Check out what some other bloggers are saying here.

Today we went in for checkups on both kids. Here’s a run down of where we’re at:

Gideon is 25 percentile for height (although it was his first standing up check and he doesn’t really know how to stand up straight yet…the doc said she thinks he is probably closer to 50th than 25th. Either one is fine with me), 10-12 percentile for weight (yeah! He’s back on the chart!), and they no longer check his head circumference because he is too old. Can you believe that? He is too old for it. Amazing. They also pricked his finger to check his lead levels. I’m guessing he’s unleaded.

Piper is 75 percentile for height (woot! Tall girl baby! This explains why all of the 3 months sleepers aren’t long enough anymore), 50 percentile for weight (And this explains why all of the 3-6 and 6 months sleepers are so roomy in the middle), and 25 percentile for head circumference. My kids have peanut heads. What can I say? Everything looked good except that one of her hips may be coming out of the socket when it is rotated. We go for an ultrasound tomorrow to see if the clicking in her hip is something serious or not. Please pray for a correct diagnosis and that Piper will not have any hip problems.

Both of them did very well when poked and prodded. Gideon got a little scared while on the table and teared up when they pricked his finger. Nothing a trip to visit Papa at work couldn’t fix (and if that didn’t do it, visiting the woof woofs did). Piper just smiled through her exam, except when they put her diaper back on (she loves naked time and clearly did not get enough of it while getting weighed). I continue to love our doctor and her amazing ability to reassure and caution at the same time. She is tops.

I have been going to the gym very early in the morning for three weeks now and while this is very good for my cardiovascular system and will eventually help the fat cells in my body to shrink, shrink, shrink, in the meantime it is making me exhausted by the kids’ nap time. Thus, I give you pictures. Enjoy them. I am going to sleep (instead of entertaining you, cleaning the house, or making supper) because it just feels right.

You would think he could fall asleep in the car. Not so much.

A brief moment of non-sleep. She, on the other hand, has no problem nodding off.

How they did not fall asleep is the real question. Not a ton to look at. Oh sweet! A bridge!